Wringer



Dec. 7, 1943. G. w. DUNHAM WRINGER Filed May i7, 1941 3' sheets-sheet l1 MEQ/Mm.,

Inventar: George W.v Dunham,

His Attorneg( Dec. 7, 1943.-

1 1 G. w. DUNHAM WRINGER Filed May 17, 1941 3 lSheets-Sheet 2 Inventor" George W. Dunham,

His Attorne'g Dec# 7, 1943r G. w. DUNHAM 2,336,233

WRINGER Filgd May 17, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Invenbov Gem-'ge W. Dunham,

b5 His Atto-Twefg.

Patented Dec. 7, i343' I UNITED STATES PATENT ori-*ICE wmNGEa George W. Dunham, Westport, Conn., assigner to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application May 17, 1941. Serial No. 393,983

the pressure applying position, the pivot pins 9 Claims.

The present invention relates to wringers for use with domestic washing machines.

rIf'he object of my invention Vis to provide an improved construction for driving and controlling wringers of this type, and for a consideration of what I believe novel and my invention, attention is directed to -the following description and the claims appended thereto.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. l is a front y elevation, partly broken away, ofa wringer embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the pressure adjustment; Fig.f3 is a sectional top elevation of the wringer; Fig. 4 is a front view of the wringer; Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective View of the contro1 mechanl sm; Fig. 6 is a. fragmentary view showing the latch holding the driving mechanism in one of the operative positions; Fig. 'l is a similar view showing the latch holding the driving mechanism in the other operative position; Fig. 8 is a front elevation, partly broken away, of a modification; Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken on line 9-9 of Fig. 8; Fig. 10 is a, top plan view of the control handle; Fig. 11 is a fragmentary View showing the wrnger driving mechanism latched in one of its operative positions: Fig. 12 is a view similar to Fig. 11 showing the Wringer driving mechanism latched in the other of its operative positions; and Fig. 13 is a front view of the wringer.

Referring to the drawings there is, shown a wringer having a frame comprising side Stiles I and 2 fixed at their lower endsto a bottom frame member 3. Drainboards 3b are fixed to the side stiles by ears fitting in slots 3c. Between the side Stiles are upper and lower wringer rolls Il and 5 having shafts 3 and 1 journaled in bearing blocks 8 and 9. The bearing blocks 3 are seated at the lower ends of the side stiles. The bearing blocks 3 are slidably carried in the upper ends of the side stiles and are urged toward the lower bearing blocks to press the rolls I together by a leaf spring lli carried on the lower end of an adlust g screw ll threaded in a nut I2 fixed at the center of a top frame member I3. One end of the top frame member I3 is pivoted on a bracket l carried by a wringer head I6 xed to the side stile l. The other end of the top frame member I3 is releasably connected to the side stile 2 by a toggle comprising links I1 pivoted at Ha on the upper end of the side stile. 2 and a link I8 pivoted at I9 on the top frame member I3, and pivoted at 2li to the lower ends of the links I1. When the links I1 and I8 of the toggle are in 20 are slightly to the right of-a center line connecting the pivot pins ,Ila and i8. The upward force exerted on the pivot I3 by the roll pressure accordingly tends to pivot the links .I1 and I3 so as to bring the pivots 2li still further to the right. In other words, when the'toggle formed by the links I1 and I8 is in the pressure applying position, Ait is slightly short of its dead center position.

The toggle is held in the pressure applying position by a latch 2i pivoted at 22 on the side stile 2 and having a hook 23 at one end engaging one of the pivot pins 20. The other end of the latch 2I is pivotally connected at 24 to an operating link 25. Upon moving the operating link 25 to the right, as viewed in Fig. 1, the hook 23 of the latch 2| is moved clear of the pin 2B to release the toggle and permit upward movement of the righthand end of the top frame member I3 and thereby release the pressure between tlie rolls. The operating link 2B is biased to the latching position by a. tension spring 26 arranged between the left-hand end of the operating link and a stud 21 on the wringer head I6. The spring 26 tends to hold the latch 2| in the position shown in Fig. 1. After tripping of the latch 2| to release the pressure between the rolls, the pressure can be reapplied by manually moving the toggle link I3 to the position shown in Fig. 1, and upon reaching this position the toggie link will be latched in place by the latch 2i. The latch 2l and its associated parts provide an arrangement for quickly releasing the roll pressure in emergencies.

The lower roll shaft 1 is connected by a coupling sleeve 28 to a crown gear 29 journaled in a bearing 3Q in the wringer headll. The crown gear is-selectively driven in opposite directions by pinions 3i loose on a vertical shaft 32 journaled at itsupper end in a bearing 33 in the top wall of the wringer head'and having a coupling member 34 at its lower end guided in a tubular post 35 by means of which the wringer head is rotatably supported on the upper end of the Wringer post of a. domestic washing machine. `At the lower end of the post 35 is a flange 36 which is adapted to rest on a similar flange fixed to the wringer post. The flange 36 carries a spring pressed detent 31^which is adapted to fit into holes in the wringer post flange and hold the wrmger in fixed angular position with reference to the wringer post. Upon lifting the detent 31 by means of a lever 38 the wringer can be swung about the wringer post to the desired position. The coupling member 3d is provided with a, slot 39 by means of which the shaft 32 is driven by a vdrive shaft extending upward through the wringer post.

The direction of rotation of the crown gear 29,'and therefore the direction of rotation of the wringer rolls, is controlled by coupling onev or the other of the gears 3| tothe shaft 32.` This is effected by means of a shifting member 46 having yokes 4| received in grooves 42 in the gears 3|. The shifting member 40 is fixed to a slide 43 which is biased to the neutral position illustrated, by a compression spring 44 conned between shoulders 45 on the wringer head. The ends of the compression spring 44 cooperate with ears 46 on the slide to return the slide to the neutral position. In the neutral position clutch 'teeth 41 on the gears 3| are clear of driving pins 48 on the shaft 32. By moving the slide 43 up or down from the neutral position the clutch teeth on the lower or the upper gear 3| respectively are moved`into engagement with the driving pins 4S to complete a driving connection to the wringer rolls. Both of the gears 5| are constantly in mesh with the crown gear 29 but only one of the gears can be in the driving position.v

The wringer is controlled by handles .49 fixed to opposite ends of a shaft 50 slidably and rotatably carried in bosses 5|, 52 on the wringer head. The ends of the shaft 56 project through opposite sides of a shield 50a, enclosing the wringer head. The sliding movement of the shaft 5|! is limited by a pin 53, xed in the shaft, which cooperates with the boss 5| and by a collar 55, fixed on the shaft, which cooperates with the boss 52,. The slide 43, which controls the rotation of the wringer, is connected to one end of a bell crank lever 55 pivoted on a pin 56 carried between ears 51 on the wringer head. The other end of the lever 55 is provided with a fork 58 receiving a pin 59 fixed in a latch member 60 loose on the shaft 5U. The latch member 65 serves as an operating member for moving the slide 45. Upon movement of the slide 43 to its driving positions, the associated parts are moved to the positions illustrated respectively in Figs. 6 and 7, in which shoulders 6| of a latch member 62 co-operate with shoulders 63 on the latch member 66 to hold the driving mechanism in the respective operative positions. The latch member 52 is pivoted on the pin 56 and is urged by a spring 6d to'- ward the latch member 60. It is necessary to latch the wringer driving mechanism in the operative position since otherwise the mechanism would be returned to the neutral position by the spring 44. The latch member 62 is made in two parts one of which, as lhas been already described, cooperates with the latch member 65) and the other of which cooperates with a latch releasing member 65 keyed to the shaft 5G and lhaving a lost motion connection with the latch member 5|] provided by a pin 66 in the latch. member 66 and a slot 61 in the latch releasing mem'- ber 65. The latch releasing member 65 hascam projections 68. which cooperate with the latch member 62 to lift it clear of the latch member 60 upon movement of the latch releasing member when the mechanism is in eitherrof its driving positions. The latch releasing member also has Due to the lost motion connection between the latch releasing member 65 and the wringer driving mechanism, the initial turning movement of the control handles 49 merely moves the latch releasing member 65 to lift the latch member 62 clear of the latch member 60. If the driving mechanism is in either of the operative positions illustrated in Fig. 6 or '7, the release of the latch S2 permits the return of the driving mechanism to the neutral position by the biasing spring 44. If the driving mechanism is in the neutral position shown in Fig. 5, further turning of the handles 49 takes up the lost motion between the latch releasing member and the latch member 60 and causes movement of the driving mechanism toward one of its operative positions. Upon reaching the operative position the latch member 62 is moved by the spring 64 into engagement with the latch member 60 to hold the driving mechanism in the operative position.

The operation of the emergency release is controlled by a lever 1| pivoted on the stud 21 on the wringer head and carrying a roller 12 lcooperating with inclined cam faces 13 xedto an arm 14. One end of the arm 14 is pivotally connected to the emergency release operating link 25. The other end of the arm 14 is xed to a shaft 15 pivoted in bosses 5| and 52. The lever 1| carries a pin 16 which ts in a groove 11 in the collar 54- which is iixed to the shaft 50. Upon axial movement of the shaft 50 in either direction from the position illustrated in Fig. 5, the roller 12 cooperates with one of the inclined cam faces 13 and moves the emergency release operating link 25 to the right, thereby pivoting the latch 2| clear of the pin 20 and releasing the Y pressure between the rolls. Upon operation of the emergency release, the top frame member I3 fiies upward. The latch member 62 is provided with a tongue 18 which extends through an opening 1S in a plate 80 fixed to the top frame member. Upon upward movement of the top frame member due to operation of the emergency release, the plate 19 'lifts the latch member 62 cleary of the latch member 60 so that the wringer driving mechanism can be returned to the neutral position by the biasing spring 44. The cam faces 13 are held in engagement with the roller 12 by the spring 26. The inclined cam faces 13 act through the roller 12 and the pin 16 to center the shaft 50 in the position illustrated in Fig. 5 in which the stop pin 53 and the collar 54 are spaced substantially equal distances from the bosses 5| and 52. Because'the shaft 5D is centered, the emergency release may be operated from either side of the wringer by pushing or pulling lthe handle [i9 nearest the operator.

The safety of the wringer is increased by the fact that the operator uses a single handle to control the driving of the rolls and the operation of the emergency release.

in Figs. 8 to 13, inclusive, is shown a modification which differs from the previously described construction in the location of the control handles and the connections between the control handles and the driving mechanism and emergency release. In other respects the construction of the Wringer is the same, and corresponding parts are indicated by the same reference characters.

The wringer is controlled by 'handles 8| fixed to opposite ends of a shaft 82 slidably and rotatably carried in bushings 83 in the side walls of the top frame member |3. The shaft is biased to the central position illustrated in ris. 1o by compression springs 94 arranged between the handles tothe neutral position under lthe force of theY biasing spring 92.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a wringer, rolls, driving mechanism for the rolls, an emergency release for releasing the lease latch 2| to the releasing position. The

operation of the emergency release is accordingly the same asin the previously described construc tion in that the operator merely pushes or pulls one of the handles.

The wringer is driven through reversing mechanism controlled by a clutch 99 which is moved up or down from the neutral position illustrated in Fig. 9 by a yoke 90 at the lower end of a slide 9|. The slide 9| is biased to the neutral position by a compression spring v92 arranged between seats 93 on the wringer head. The ends of the spring 92 cooperate with shoulders 94 on the slide to bias the slide to the neutral position. The upper end of the slide 9| is provided with a notch 95 receiving one end 96 of a `bell crank lever 91 pivoted at 99 on the wringer head. The other arm 99 of the bell crank lever has a latch member pivoted thereon by a pin |0|. The latch member |00 is pivotally connected by a pin |02 to a bar |03, one end of which is connected to an arm |04 keyed to the shaft 92 and the other end of which is sl-idably carried on the wringer head by means of a stud |05` on the wringer head extending through a slot |09 in the bar. The pivotal movement of the latch member |00 relative to the bar is limited by stops |01 on the bar. The bar |03 is shown in the neutral position in Fig. 8. Upon turning of the shaft 92 the arm |04 slides the bar |03 along the top of the wringer head. During the initial sliding movement of the bar |03, the pin |0| remains stationary and the latch member |00 pivots about the pin |0| until it engages one of the stops |01. Further movement of the bar causes movement of' the bell crank lever 91 through the pin |0| connecting the latch member |00 and the bell crank lever. The stops |01 and the pivot pins |0| and |02 provide a lost motion connection between the bar |09 and the bell crank lever 91 which is equivalent in operation to the lost motion connection between the latch member 90 and the latch releasing member 65 in the previously described construction. Upon movement of the bar |03 to either of the operative positions shown in Figs.' 1l and 12, one of the notches |09 on the latch member |00 cooperates with one of the teeth |09'on the wringer head to hold the mechanism in the operative position. Upon turning the handle 9| in the direction to move the bar |03 from one of the operative positions the initial movement of the bar causes the latch member |00 to pivot about t the pin |0I, moving the notch |09 clear of the teeth |09 with which it was in engagement. Upon releasing the latch |00 the biasing spring 9,2 returns the driving mechanism to the neutral position.'

Upon operation of the emergency release in either of the driving positions, the top frame member |3 pivots upward about the bracket I9, lifting the bar |03 through the arm |04 and lifting the latch member |00 through the pin |02 to move the latch member clear of the teeth |09. This permits the return of the driving mechanism pressure vbetween the rolls, a shaft mounted for i movement along and for rotation about its axis, a handle for selectively rotatingthe shaft and' moving the shaft axially, a lever for operating the emergency release, a cam having a face'cooperating with the lever to operate the emergency release upon axial movementoi the shaft, and connections between the shaft and the driving mechanism operated by rotation of the shaft.

2. In a wringer, roll driving mechanism, a

member for shifting the driving mechanism to operative and inoperative positions, a slide, a latch member pivoted on the slide, stops limiting the pivotal movement of the latch member relative to the slide, a connection between the latch member and they shifting member whereby the shifting member is moved by the latch member, and means engageable by the latch member to hold the'shifting member in an operative position.

3. In a wringer, roll driving mechanism, a member for shifting the driving mechanism to operative and inoperative positions, a shaft, a handle for turning the shaft, an operating member loose on the shaft for moving the shifting member, a latch cooperating with said member to hold the shifting member in an operative position, a latch releasing member keyed to the shaft, and a connection between the handle and said operating member having sulcient lost motion so the latch releasing member is moved to the latch releasing position prior to the movement of the handle necessary to take up the slack between the handle and the operating member.

4. In a wringer, rolls, driving mechanism for the rolls, an emergency release for releasing the pressure between the rolls, a shaft mounted for movement along and for rotation about its axis, a handle for selectively rotating the shaft and moving the shaft axially, a lever for operating the emergency release, a cam having a face cooperating with the lever to operate the emergency release upon axial movement of the shaft, a member for shifting the driving mechanism to operative and inoperative positions, a latch for` holding said shifting member in anoperative position, a latch releasing member moved by rotation of said shaft, a connection between the latch releasing member and the shifting member effective upon movement of the handle -to the latch releasing position to move the shifting member, and means responsive to operation of the emergency release for releasing the latch.'

5. In a wringer, rolls, driving mechanism for the rolls, an emergency release for releasing the pressure between the rolls, a shaft mounted for movement axially along and for rotation about its axis, means for selectively rotating theshaft or moving the shaft axially, means responsive to axial movement of the shaft for operating the emergency release, a member for shifting the driving mechanism to operative and inoperative positions, a latch for holding said shifting mem- 'ber in an operative position, a latch releasing member moved in response to rotation of said shaft, a connection between the latch releasing member and the shifting member effective upon rotation of the shaft to the latch releasing position to move the shifting member, and means responsive to operation of the emergency release for releasing the latch. 6. In a wringer, rolls, driving mechanism for the rolls, an emergency release ,for releasing the pressure between the rolls, a handle, means responsive to a thrust on the handle in a direction transverse to the rolls for operating the emergency release, and means responsive to movement of the handle in a direction parallel to the rolls for controlling the driving mechanism.

7. In a wringer, rolls, driving mechanism for the rolls, a shifting member for shifting the driving mechanism to operative and inoperative positions, an emergency release for releasing the pressure between the rolls, a shaft mounted for movement along and for rotation about its axis, a handle for selectively rotating the shaft and moving the shaft axially, operative connections vbetween the shaft and the emergency release rotation of the handle necessary to take up the slack between the latch releasing member and the operating member.

8. In a wringer, rolls, driving mechanism for the rolls, an emergency release for releasing the pressure between the rolls, a handle mounted for rotation about and movement along an axis, means responsive to axial movement of the handie for operating the emergency release, and means responsive to rotation of the handle for controlling the driving mechanism.

p 9. In a wringer, rolls, driving mechanism ior the rolls, an emergency release for releasing the pressure between the rolls, a handle mounted for movement in a direction parallel to the rolls, means responsive to a thrust on the handle in a direction transverse to the rolls for operating the l emergency release, a member for shifting the driving mechanism to operative and inoperative positions, a latch for holding said shifting member in an operative position, a latch releasing member moved in response to movement of the handle parallel to the rolls, a connection between the latch releasing member and the shifting member effective upon movement of the handle to the latch releasing position to move the shifting member, and means responsive to operation of the emergency release for releasing the latch.

GEORGE W. DUNHAM. 

